Wenger may not sign a new striker as he backs Giroud to lead Gunners to title win

Arsene Wenger has admitted it would be a gamble if Arsenal did not bring in another striker this month, but believes fighter Olivier Giroud has the tenacity to lead the club to the title this season.

The France striker has contributed eight Barclays Premier League goals so far but his value in holding up the ball and bringing others into play was exposed when he missed recent games against Cardiff City and Tottenham with an ankle problem.

Giroud, 27, is fit to face Aston Villa on Monday night, but Arsenal are desperately short of back up.

Main man: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has backed Olivier Giroud to fire the Gunners to the title

You listen to me son: Olivier Giroud (left) with young Spanish defender Nacho Monreal before a training session at London Colney

Nicklas Bendtner will be out for another
‘two to three weeks’ with an ankle injury, while Theo Walcott, who can
operate on the wing or in a more central role, will miss the rest of the
season to recover from knee ligament damage.

Wenger called Lukas Podolski ‘one of the best finishers I’ve ever seen’ but the German is not yet fully match fit after tearing a hamstring in August.

Asked if it would be a risk if Arsenal did not sign another striker in January, Wenger said: ‘Yes, it is. That is why we are out there.

‘(In the summer) I looked for a striker that could play with Giroud and without Giroud. In my mind it was not absolutely to replace Giroud: it was to play with or without him. We could have taken someone who plays up front and play in a 4-4-2.

‘People want always new names. What is important for us is that Giroud is back. He was a bit tired recently but now he is refreshed, he is back, and I am sure he will have a major impact on the second part of the season.’

‘He has qualities that the rest of the squad has not got. He always gives us that strength. We have small players who combine quickly, so to find someone who can hold it, keep the ball, make some room for other players, he does that very well. He gives us a very good balance.’

Wenger likened Giroud to former Arsenal striker Alan Smith and praised the resilience of a player who is ‘always ready for a fight, even when he’s tired’.

Here if you need me gaffer: Arsene Wenger (right) with former Arsenal player Thierry Henry (left) who is training with the Gunners

Aiming high: With Giroud refreshed Arsene Wenger wants his French striker to lead Arsenal to the title

The Arsenal manager said: ‘He’s a tough, tough boy. Even when the medical people say he should rest, he says: “I’m all right.”

‘He needed five stitches after the game at Newcastle, but he played the whole game a with an open ankle and without complaining. And when I took him off, he didn’t want to come off! He’s tough.

‘I was always thinking: “I have to rest him.” Then on Friday night, I always changed my mind.’

Big goal: Wenger considered resting Giroud for the clash with Newcastle but the big striker grabbed the winner

Arsenal can go back to the top of the table with a win at Villa Park, an achievement that would be in stark contrast to the reverse fixture back in August. A 3-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium on the opening day of the season brought resounding boos from the home fans, angry at Arsenal’s lack of action in the transfer market.

Some two weeks later, in came Mesut Ozil in a £42million deal.

Wenger sneered at the ‘specialist eyes’ who still make Manchester City favourites for the title, but insisted his side are capable of proving them wrong.

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‘Nobody gave us any points,’ he said. ‘We have earned them. We just have to keep a strong belief and I am sure we can do it.

‘It’s linked with belief and we need to continue to develop as a team because you could see against Tottenham (in the FA Cup) that this team is still growing.

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‘They (City) are the favourites from everybody’s specialist eyes. But we are here to deny that.’